WASHINGTON.- President Joe Biden ordered that thousands of people convicted of simple marijuana use and possession on federal lands and the capital district can apply for clemency, the White House said Friday.
Friday’s pardon extends a similar round announced in November 2022 under which thousands of people convicted of simple possession on federal lands could apply for clemency. Friday’s measure expands the number of pardonable criminal offenses. Biden also pardoned 11 people serving “disproportionately long” sentences for non-violent drug-related crimes.
Biden said in a statement that his measures make it possible to make what he called “the promise of equity in justice a reality.”
“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have created unnecessary barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities,” according to Biden. “Too many lives have been turned upside down because of our failed approach to marijuana. It is time to rectify those wrongs.”
No one was released under last year’s measure, but the intention of the pardons was to help thousands of people overcome the obstacles that prevented them from renting a home or getting a job. In addition, No federal prisoners will be released with Friday’s pardon.
Biden’s order applies only to marijuana, which many states have decriminalized or legalized but remains a controlled substance under federal law. Federal regulators are studying a reclassification to remove it from the list of drugs that “do not currently have an accepted medicinal use and have a high potential for abuse.”
The pardon does not cover people who were in the country illegally at the time of conviction.
Those interested can request clemency from the pardon office of the Department of Justice.
Source: AP
